1plate 
/ˈpleɪt/ noun
plural plates /ˈpleɪt/ noun 1 [count] a : a flat and usually round dish that is used for eating or serving food
▪ plates, bowls, and cups ▪ a paper plate ▪ fancy dinner/salad/bread/dessert plates ▪ a large serving plate [=platter] ▪ pie plates [=plates used to hold pies] — see picture at place setting
b : the food that is served on a plate
▪ a plate of cheese and crackers ▪ a fruit/vegetable/meat plate [=a plate filled with different fruits/vegetables/meats] ▪ I ate a salad and a plate of spaghetti. 2 [count] : a thin, flat piece of metal
▪ A shiny metal plate was screwed to the door. ▪ He had a steel plate put in his shoulder after the accident. ▪ a plate of armor — see also breastplate, nameplate 3 [count] : license plate — usually plural ▪ a car with New York plates 4 [count] : one of the usually flat, hard pieces that cover the body of some animals
▪ a dinosaur covered in bony plates 5 [singular] : a dish or small container used in some churches to collect money
▪ They passed around the plate during services. ▪ the collection plate 6 the plate baseball : home plate
▪ The runner was tagged out at the plate. — see also step up to the plate (below) 7 [count] geology : one of the very large sections of the Earth's surface that are believed to move and cause earthquakes where they touch each other — see also plate tectonics 8 [noncount] a : metal that is covered with a thin layer of gold or silver
▪ gold/silver plate
b : objects (such as dishes, knives, forks, etc.) that are covered with a thin layer of gold or silver
▪ The dishes were solid silver, not plate. 9 [count] : a special page in a book that has pictures on it
▪ The book is 500 pages long and contains over 50 color plates. — see also bookplate 10 [count] : a surface of metal, plastic, or wood that is used in printing words or pictures on paper
▪ printing plates 11 [count] : a sheet of glass or plastic that is treated with a special chemical and used in photography
▪ photographic plates 12 [count] : the part of a set of false teeth that attaches to the mouth
▪ the upper/lower plate of a set of dentures
▪ plates, bowls, and cups ▪ a paper plate ▪ fancy dinner/salad/bread/dessert plates ▪ a large serving plate [=platter] ▪ pie plates [=plates used to hold pies] — see picture at place setting
b : the food that is served on a plate
▪ a plate of cheese and crackers ▪ a fruit/vegetable/meat plate [=a plate filled with different fruits/vegetables/meats] ▪ I ate a salad and a plate of spaghetti.
▪ A shiny metal plate was screwed to the door. ▪ He had a steel plate put in his shoulder after the accident. ▪ a plate of armor — see also breastplate, nameplate
▪ a dinosaur covered in bony plates
▪ They passed around the plate during services. ▪ the collection plate
▪ The runner was tagged out at the plate. — see also step up to the plate (below)
▪ gold/silver plate
b : objects (such as dishes, knives, forks, etc.) that are covered with a thin layer of gold or silver
▪ The dishes were solid silver, not plate.
▪ The book is 500 pages long and contains over 50 color plates. — see also bookplate
▪ printing plates
▪ photographic plates
▪ the upper/lower plate of a set of dentures
clean your plate — see 2clean
on a plate
informal : in a way that requires no effort : as a gift
▪ He was handed the job on a plate. [=he was given the job without having to do anything to earn it] ▪ The victory was handed to us on a plate.
▪ He was handed the job on a plate. [=he was given the job without having to do anything to earn it] ▪ The victory was handed to us on a plate.
on your plate
informal — used to refer to the things that a person has to do or deal with at one time ▪ She has a lot on her plate right now. [=she has a lot of things that she has to deal with right now] ▪ I've got enough on my plate to keep me busy this summer.
step up to the plate
baseball : to move into position next to home plate in order to bat — often used figuratively in U.S. English ▪ He finally stepped up to the plate [=he finally took action] and asked her to marry him. ▪ If you want this promotion, you're going to have to step up to the plate. [=you will have to improve your work performance to show that you deserve the promotion]
— see also fashion plate
